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Lower Yellowstone Falls with Rainbow

The image was originally taken on Kodachrome 25 using a Nikon F2 with a AI 20mm f-3.5 Nikkor lens. ~ 1981 .

The image was originally taken on Kodachrome 25 using a Nikon F2 with a AI 20mm f-3.5 Nikkor lens. ~ 1981 .
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Nikon COOLSCAN V ED

upload_date

Jan, 2014

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728

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+19

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Behind The Lens

Location

The photo was made from the viewpoint right at the brink of lower Yellowstone falls. Actually this was a long time ago, but fortunately this US national treasure has been well protected an may look just about the same today.

Time

This is one of my long time favorite images. At the time, I was building my career, doing a several years stage in the US. Despite my low finances, I continued to be amateur photographer and did find time to visit interesting places in the country. When I arrived on this location, it was already midday.

Lighting

Looking down the well lit valley with its whitewater rapids, if felt charmed. And looking down there was this beautiful rainbow due to all the droplets whirling around in the air. The numerous clouds added diffuse light and significantly reduced tha harshness of midday light.

Equipment

I was shooting a Nikon F2 at the time, and had recently acquired a Nikkor 20mm f/3.5 ultra wide angle lens. The 84 degrees wide angle along the long side made it possible combine the rainbow and a bit of the waterfall almost straight down with the clouds above the canyon rim . The angled down view emphasizes the sheerness of the canyon.

Inspiration

I found the unusual view and the light immediately compelling. I was mostly lucky, to be there at the right time. I was glad to be prepared having this little ultra wide lens.

Editing

This 35mm Kodachrome II slide was later scanned. The digital version was mildly post-processed by fine tuning the levels and color balance.

In my camera bag

An very wide lens can help for striking landscape and architecture images. So when landscape is an important theme on a particular travel, then I now take a full frame DSLR D850 and the versatile light weight 18-35mm f/3.5-4.5 lens along. Often the widest angles make a prominent landscape feature in the distance too small or include clutter in the image which cannot be removed. Then it is nice to zoom in to 24mm, which I consider a very important landscape focal length. Sometimes even less wide angle 28mm or 35mm makes a better field of view. -- When I do "everything" travel, landscape, city, people with a single lens, then my current favorite is a crop DSLR with the 16-80mm f/2.8-4.0 lens.

Feedback

Be prepared, mostly mentally, for the unexpected. A phone camera may do. But, usually, I like to have photo equipment with better capabilities along. The heavy photo backpack can be overdone though. Only when corresponding photo opportunities are planned, I would take a 14mm or a 500mm lens along. Also a tripod (or monopod) only comes along when it will likely be needed. A light weight tripod may do for wide angled night or ND filter photography.

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delley

Lower Yellowstone Falls with Rainbow

The image was originally taken on Kodachrome 25 using a Nikon F2 with a AI 20mm f-3.5 Nikkor lens. ~ 1981 .

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow delley

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